SOUTH CITY PREPARATORY ACADEMY

PRINCIPLES

At South City Preparatory Academy, a core set of principles gathered from research and observation of other high performing urban schools are central to the school’s academic program and to meeting the mission of preparing students to succeed in college and beyond. These principles can be broken into 9 key areas. Click on the headings below to learn more about each principle.

Studies indicate that high risk students show the same academic gains as more affluent students during the school year, yet it is during the summer break when students spend more time at home and in their community that the achievement gap is accelerated. South City Preparatory Academy will not have a summer break but instead will be designed along the academy model: six weeks of school, one week teacher in-service, and one week whole school break. This model will benefit students by eliminating the effects of the summer learning gap.

It takes time, effort and practice to meet the challenge of high academic standards. Additionally, recent studies suggest that there is a direct link between extended learning time and student achievement. Armed with this evidence and the examples of other high performing urban schools, the school day at South City Preparatory Academy is extended, running from 8:00 until 4:30. This is in tandem with an extended school year (194 days) for all students. A student who attends South City Preparatory Academy from 5th grade to 12th grade will receive almost three full years more learning time than students in a typical St. Louis district school.

South City Preparatory Academy is committed to using data to inform instruction. During the first week of school, students will be assessed with an age-appropriate, standardized assessment tool. South City Preparatory Academy will use the NWEA MAP for this purpose. This initial assessment will give teacher the guidance to design lessons with a clear understanding of current student mastery. The NWEA MAP will be administered four times per school year to measure student progress over the course of the year. Each teacher will use this significant amount of data to generate action plans that are connected to lesson plans.

It is not surprising that schools in which high risk students reach mastery have a relentless focus on developing literacy and math skills. For middle school students at South City Preparatory Academy, four hours per day will be dedicated to Communication Arts and Mathematics. Communication Arts will be broken into separate reading literacy and writing communication arts classes. Math will be broken into problem solving and procedures classes. This added time will help reinforce skills that students may lack while simultaneously preparing students for rigorous college preparatory expectations and standards when they enter high school.

Creating an environment of order and structure, in which teachers can focus on teaching and students can focus on learning, is essential to the ability of South City Preparatory Academy to deliver on its mission. At South City Preparatory Academy, there will be a high code of conduct that is clear, detailed, and consistent throughout the school. Students at South City Preparatory Academy will be expected to wear uniforms, adhere to strict behavior requirements during the school day, and actively participate in classroom activities.

Every aspect of South City Preparatory Academy will emphasize attending and succeeding in college. Reminders of this strong college culture will be evident throughout the school. With banners in the classrooms and halls, college class names, and college school visits every year; students will realize that college is an expected goal and that success in college is attainable with proper work ethic. In the high school years, students will participate in month-long internships where they not only shadow successful college students, but also learn what the college experience looks like. Additionally, an extensive dual credit program will allow qualifying high school students to get high school and college credit at local colleges and universities.

Every grade level will engage in year-long service learning activities. During the middle school years, these activities will be most often conducted as an entire class or grade level and organized by the staff of South City Preparatory Academy. High school community activities will be more intense and individualized than those of middle school students. Freshman will engage in activities in small groups and gradually design and implement a service learning activity that is part of the graduation requirements at South City Preparatory Academy.

Highly effective schools partner with student families in collaborating towards extraordinary student achievement. With the help of each student’s family, South City Preparatory Academy’s staff will work to convince students that they can reach their goals if they work hard enough, and doing so will make a real difference in their lives. South City Preparatory Academy will assume responsibility for family involvement by engaging with families frequently and in a variety of methods. Every student enrolled at South City Preparatory Academy will attend a meeting with their family and their teacher before the school year begins. This meeting will help outline the high expectations for all parties responsible for that child’s education; including family, student, teacher and school. Teachers will contact families frequently and in a variety of methods to keep them updated on student academic progress.

Schools that produce outstanding academic outcomes do so in large part because they expect outstanding outcomes of both staff and students. Meeting and exceeding these expectations will be a goal for every student, regardless of proficiency level for every grade and in all core subject areas. By 8th grade, it is expected that a majority of students will meet or exceed state and federal accountability targets, and all adults at South City Preparatory Academy will be held accountable and take responsibility for reaching these targets.